prelude.
Cold.
Dark.
This is the night.
It was raining. A light chilling rain that lands softly when it falls. It could barely be felt.
He didn't care though. This was being alone. This was what he was use to.
The bridge was quiet. This was how he liked it. No cars, no people, not anything. Just him. He gave up in trying to hold back the tears and let them creep down his face as he stared out over the river below.
She was gone, and she wasn't coming back. It was over. There wasn't anything he could do. He was too late. He clutched the silver necklace in his hands tighter as he shut his eyes as tight they would go. Why'd she have to leave him.why'd she have to go?
He hugged the necklace close to his face while he cried. He had never been so sad in his life.
He held the necklace over the railing and released his grip letting it fall to the darkness of the water below.
He collapsed on the wet bench next to him and stared down at his feet. The rain started to fall faster, and thunder clashed after every flash of lightning.
The storm continued for awhile and he continued to sit. He looked up at the battered school bus on the other side of the bridge. All the windows were busted out, and the roof had been ripped clean off. The side of the bus had once had the name of the school but it was now to torn up and mangled to see anything.
He thought about why it had happened, how it had happened. None of his questions were ones that he could answer.
The sound of a car engine could barely be heard over his thoughts. He looked up and peered through the sheet of rain and saw headlights approaching. The car stopped next to the bus, and two men got out. They were both wearing uniforms of the Brahms police.
"Are you with the Brahms high students?" The officer that got out of the drivers seat shouted.
He said nothing as he stared at them.
The other officer had gone to examine the school bus with his flashlight and an umbrella.
The driver stepped toward the young man on the bench and spoke again. "Are you a student with Brahms high school? Were you on the field trip?"
"This bus has been torn apart Chris, and their ain't nobody inside." The cop shined the flashlight around the length of the bus and turned toward his partner and the young man. "What the hell happened here?"
Chris kneeled down next to the young man and spoke a third time. "Son, what happened here? Where is the rest of the students?"
"They're dead," he spoke as he glanced back down to his feet.
"What happened? How did they die?" Chris said.
The young man said nothing.
Chris grabbed him by the shoulders and the young man looked into the cop's eyes through the rain running down his face. "Son, how did they die? What killed them?"
"Their fear," the young man said as he returned his eyes to his feet.
"What do you mean their fear?"
"They were afraid and it knew."
Chris forced the young man to look at him again. "What knew?"
"The town. It knew we were afraid. It knew we were scared."
The other cop walked up next to his partner. "What the hell are you talking about? What the hell is that suppose to mean? Are you trying to tell me that this fucking town killed everyone?!"
"No, their fear did."
"Chris this is bullshit, I bet he did it. He probably wrecked the bus, killed everyone and dumped the bodies in the river. I say we take him in now and lock his ass up."
Chris stood up and grabbed the collar of his partner's jacket and pulled him back toward their car. "Hold on a second Leon. Remember those reports we got a couple weeks ago. Cybill and that writer and his daughter all disappearing around the same time, and a few days later James Sunderland and that Eddie guy went missing. They all had something to do with this town, and I think he might be telling the truth."
Leon broke his partners grip and walked back toward the bus. Chris turned back to the young man. "What exactly happened here?"
The young man looked up at the cop and the other cop turned back facing in his direction.
"It all started yesterday morning."
Cold.
Dark.
This is the night.
It was raining. A light chilling rain that lands softly when it falls. It could barely be felt.
He didn't care though. This was being alone. This was what he was use to.
The bridge was quiet. This was how he liked it. No cars, no people, not anything. Just him. He gave up in trying to hold back the tears and let them creep down his face as he stared out over the river below.
She was gone, and she wasn't coming back. It was over. There wasn't anything he could do. He was too late. He clutched the silver necklace in his hands tighter as he shut his eyes as tight they would go. Why'd she have to leave him.why'd she have to go?
He hugged the necklace close to his face while he cried. He had never been so sad in his life.
He held the necklace over the railing and released his grip letting it fall to the darkness of the water below.
He collapsed on the wet bench next to him and stared down at his feet. The rain started to fall faster, and thunder clashed after every flash of lightning.
The storm continued for awhile and he continued to sit. He looked up at the battered school bus on the other side of the bridge. All the windows were busted out, and the roof had been ripped clean off. The side of the bus had once had the name of the school but it was now to torn up and mangled to see anything.
He thought about why it had happened, how it had happened. None of his questions were ones that he could answer.
The sound of a car engine could barely be heard over his thoughts. He looked up and peered through the sheet of rain and saw headlights approaching. The car stopped next to the bus, and two men got out. They were both wearing uniforms of the Brahms police.
"Are you with the Brahms high students?" The officer that got out of the drivers seat shouted.
He said nothing as he stared at them.
The other officer had gone to examine the school bus with his flashlight and an umbrella.
The driver stepped toward the young man on the bench and spoke again. "Are you a student with Brahms high school? Were you on the field trip?"
"This bus has been torn apart Chris, and their ain't nobody inside." The cop shined the flashlight around the length of the bus and turned toward his partner and the young man. "What the hell happened here?"
Chris kneeled down next to the young man and spoke a third time. "Son, what happened here? Where is the rest of the students?"
"They're dead," he spoke as he glanced back down to his feet.
"What happened? How did they die?" Chris said.
The young man said nothing.
Chris grabbed him by the shoulders and the young man looked into the cop's eyes through the rain running down his face. "Son, how did they die? What killed them?"
"Their fear," the young man said as he returned his eyes to his feet.
"What do you mean their fear?"
"They were afraid and it knew."
Chris forced the young man to look at him again. "What knew?"
"The town. It knew we were afraid. It knew we were scared."
The other cop walked up next to his partner. "What the hell are you talking about? What the hell is that suppose to mean? Are you trying to tell me that this fucking town killed everyone?!"
"No, their fear did."
"Chris this is bullshit, I bet he did it. He probably wrecked the bus, killed everyone and dumped the bodies in the river. I say we take him in now and lock his ass up."
Chris stood up and grabbed the collar of his partner's jacket and pulled him back toward their car. "Hold on a second Leon. Remember those reports we got a couple weeks ago. Cybill and that writer and his daughter all disappearing around the same time, and a few days later James Sunderland and that Eddie guy went missing. They all had something to do with this town, and I think he might be telling the truth."
Leon broke his partners grip and walked back toward the bus. Chris turned back to the young man. "What exactly happened here?"
The young man looked up at the cop and the other cop turned back facing in his direction.
"It all started yesterday morning."
